Second Lake Fishing near Porters Lake, Nova Scotia

• Overview

  Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, is where Second Lake sits. Height above sea level is 43 metres. Small at around 3 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Halifax Regional Municipality are larger. Some 35 km away sits Musquodoboit Harbour, the nearest settlement. Porters Lake lies 49 km off, Lake Echo another 54 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Second Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Halifax Regional Municipality include brook trout, alewife, rainbow smelt, American eel and Atlantic salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Second Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -5°C in February and 18°C in August. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Anyone fishing Second Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Good Wood Hill Lake is 0.6 km off. For Second Lake in particular, ask before you travel.